A report released this past week by the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the horrific Baltimore Beltway work zone crash of March 22, 2023, that killed a half-dozen highway workers was chiefly the product of speeding and reckless driving. Both of the vehicles involved were traveling at more than 120 miles per hour when they collided on the outer loop of Interstate 695 in Woodlawn with one ultimately flipping through a construction zone. The incident drew national attention and led to some added work zone protections in Maryland including a greater use of speed cameras to ticket unsafe drivers. Lawsuits and criminal prosecutions are still pending. But the report also raises a possible solution not yet pursued: What if the vehicles themselves had warned drivers of the extreme dangers of their actions or even prevented such high-speed travel?
The technology mentioned in the report is ISA or Intelligent Speed Assistance. The in-vehicle system takes advantage of GPS technology to compare real-time vehicle speed to location. Traveling well above the posted limit? The car will alert the driver — using visual signals or perhaps a loud buzzing. One possibility might be for the system to increase resistance in the gas pedal or perhaps outright force the car to slow down. Some vehicles are already being sold in the United States with the option of ISA advisory capabilities, some that even limit gasoline flow. The European Union has moved further — now requiring all new vehicles to be so equipped.
Maryland shouldn’t pursue such a mandate on its own. The California state legislature already tried only to have the measure vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. He reasoned, correctly, that this is a requirement best imposed nationwide, not state by state. Studies have shown the technology to be effective — although not always appreciated by test subjects. Such a sweeping change would be best pursued by Congress and not a regulatory agency, but lawmakers might be able to offer a carrot to go with that stick: ISA can be harnessed to report safe driving habits to car insurers who might, in turn, offer cheaper rates. Given recent premium increases, that could prove a compelling pitch, and given how often speed is involved in fatal crashes (about one-third of the time), there’s no disputing its lifesaving potential.
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